Theatre preview: Leaving, Richmond

The Orange Tree Theatre in Richmond has had an ongoing relationship with former Czech Republic president and playwright Václav Havel since 1977, having presented several British premieres of his works. Now, with a translation by Paul Wilson, it gets to stage the English-language premiere of Leaving - Havel's first play since becoming a leading political figure in 1989. It clearly has some personal resonance, since it focuses on a chancellor leaving office, preparing for change, a move out of the state villa that has been his and his family's home for years, and facing an uncertain future. With the help of journalists, a student, a deputy minister, staff and family, he contemplates his legacy. With themes of change, dispossession and the passage of power to another generation, it has echoes of King Lear and The Cherry Orchard. Havel himself will see his first Orange Tree production at a private gala.